About 9 years ago, Clint and I had just bought our first home. We were excited and anxious as we made changes to the paint, ripped off wallpaper, laid down tile and pulled out carpet. We also had to purchase new large appliances including a washer, dryer and refrigerator. As we selected paint chips and appliances, I remember feeling like we were spending more money than we had seen at that point. We made our big decisions based on functionality, product ratings, personal experience and our “wants”, knowing that we’d more than likely be living with these large purchases for quite a while.

We opted with a traditional energy-saving washer and dryer combo, avoiding the beautiful, but more costly top loaders. When the time came to purchase the fridge, we were dazzled by the huge array of options, each adding extra dollars to the cost. We stood in the large appliances sections of Best Buy, Sears, Lowes, and Home Depot looking both stupefied and giddy at our potential prospects. Did we want Stainless steel or black? Did we want a side-by-side, or fridge-over-freezer drawer combo? Some fridges had panel inserts that could slide in to change the look of the refrigerator completely. Read More...